New York

Continental gunboat Philadelphia on display at the National
Museum of American History. (Smithsonian Institution)

New York State has over 2,000 miles of shoreline along the Great Lakes
and around Long Island. More than 160 rivers and streams, 120 lakes, and
65 reservoirs and dams are in New York. Besides Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,
other major lakes include Lake Champlain, Lake George, Oneida Lake, and
the Finger Lakes. The boundary between New York State and some of its neighbors
is marked by the Delaware, the Niagara, and the St. Lawrence rivers. Other
major rivers include the Genesee, the Hudson, the Mohawk, and the Susquehanna.
About 13% of the state (7,342 square miles) is covered by water including
its offshore waters in the Atlantic Ocean and its system of canals.

What is New York's maritime heritage?

With its complex network of waterways, New York State has a rich maritime
heritage. The archeological record in the state represents 12,000 years
of human activity following the last glacial period in North America. The
historic record extends back to 1609 when Henry Hudson sailed into what
is known now as New York Harbor on behalf of the Dutch East India Company.
The prehistoric and historic sites on land and underwater in New York State
represent a continuum of native and non-native settlement, defense, and
commercial development.

What sites are underwater?

Information on more than 1,000 shipwreck sites and reported losses is recorded
in a database maintained by the state but there may be as many as 10,000
shipwrecks in state waters. In the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound,
there are shipwrecks from the early colonial period to World War II. In
Lakes Erie and Ontario, there are sunken 18th century warships, commercial
sailing vessels, and World War II aircraft. In Lakes Champlain and George,
there are naval ship losses from the French and Indian War through the War
of 1812. They and other inland lakes contain the wrecks of canal boats and
steamships; and the state's rivers and harbors are littered with the wrecks
of sloops, schooners, barges, steamboats, tugs, and harbor craft from the
17th - 20th centuries.

The Land Tortoise in Lake George is one of the nation's oldest
shipwrecks. This colonial radeau was constructed in 1758 by American provincial
troops allied with the British and the Iroquois against France. It was intentionally
sunk in 1758 for storage over the winter but sank too deep and was not recovered.
It was discovered in 1990 and studied for four years by a team of volunteer
divers working with a professional archeologist. The shipwreck is a National
Historic Landmark and protected in the Land Tortoise submerged
heritage preserve.

One well-preserved shipwreck from the American Revolutionary War is the
Continental gunboat Philadelphia sunk in 1776 during the Battle
of Valcour Island in Lake Champlain. Located and raised in 1935 and bequeathed
to the Smithsonian Institution in 1961, it is in the collection of the National
Museum of American History in Washington, DC and is a National Historic
Landmark.

A British loss from the same time period is the warship HMS Culloden
run aground during a severe winter storm in 1781 at Montauk while trying
to intercept French ships allied with the Americans. The shipwreck was discovered
in 1971 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The East Hampton Marine Museum in Amagansett tells the story of the ship's
loss and displays some artifacts.

Examples of ships lost in the 19th and the 20th centuries are the side-wheel
steamship Lexington lost in a catastrophic fire with great loss
of life in Long Island Sound in 1840 and the USS San Diego that
suffered an explosion and sank in 1918 southeast of Fire Island, the only
major United States warship lost in World War I.

Who takes care of New York's underwater archeological sites?

Six state agencies work together to take care of New York's underwater
archeological sites:

The Office of General Services
is custodian of state-owned submerged land and issues land use permits
for various activities on that land including submerged heritage preserves.

The State Museum in the Department
of Education is custodian of underwater archeological sites on state submerged
land and issues permits in conjunction with other state agencies for research
at sites on that land.

The Department of Environmental Conservation
is responsible for conserving, improving and protecting the state's natural
resources and environment and, in this capacity, administers submerged
heritage preserves in Lake George.

The Department of State manages
the state's coastal management program and provides grants for local waterfront
revitalization including development of Blueway Trails and Underwater
Blueway Trails.

The Office of the Attorney General
protects and defends New York State's interests in its cultural resources
including underwater archeological sites.

Representatives from each of these agencies sit on an ad hoc committee
on underwater resources that serves as a clearinghouse for shipwreck issues
and a forum for coordinating agency responses and policies. Members of this
committee also sit on the Hudson River Estuary submerged historic resources
committee. Along with representatives from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum,
the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, this committee is developing a plan to identify,
evaluate, document, protect, and interpret some 900 shipwrecks in the Hudson
River.

What permits do I need to study shipwrecks?

You need a permit from the State Museum to conduct archeological research
on state land including shipwreck sites on state submerged lands. Applications
are reviewed by an interagency panel to ensure that the proposal meets scientific
requirements, abides by museum policies, and complies with other state laws.
The state agency that administers the land on which the site is located
also must give its approval which, in the case of state submerged land,
is the Office of General Services. Materials recovered under authority of
a permit remain state property and must be cared for in accordance with
the state's policies regarding collections.

Are there any underwater parks in New York?

In cooperation with regional partners, New York State has created underwater
historic preserves in Lake Champlain, Lake George, and Lake Ontario.
The Champlain II preserve is in Lake Champlain; the Sunken
Fleet of 1758, the Forward Underwater Classroom, and the Land
Tortoise preserves are in Lake George; and the David W. Mills
preserve is in Lake Ontario.

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is a National Scenic Byway in New York and
Pennsylvania that features a Dive
Trail with shipwreck sites including the freighter David W. Mills.
Some other sites on the Dive Trail include the schooner St. Peter
and the freighter Homer Warren in Lake Ontario and the car ferry
Wolfe Islander II in the St. Lawrence River.

What laws concern underwater archeology in New York?

The Public Lands Law establishes the responsibilities and authorities of
the Office of General Services concerning state-owned land including submerged
land.

The Education Law establishes the State Museum in the Department of Education
as the repository for state-owned archeological, historical, and scientific
specimens and collections, and establishes a permit process for authorizing
archeological survey and excavation.

The Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law establishes the responsibilities
and authorities of the State Parks, the State Historic Sites, the State
Heritage Areas, and the State Historic Preservation Office.

The Environmental Conservation Law establishes the responsibilities and
authorities of the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The Executive Law establishes the Department of State, and Article 42 of
the law authorizes the program to revitalize the state's coastal areas and
inland waterways.

New York State considers that its historical, archeological, architectural,
and cultural heritage is among its most important environmental assets and
that it should be preserved. Through its comprehensive historic preservation
program, the state promotes, encourages, and coordinates activities that
protect, enhance, and perpetuate its heritage resources including its submerged
heritage resources.